“It’s not a matter of ‘if’ I will get started again, it’s a matter of ‘how.’ I will race again and I will win races again.”

Faced with the enormity of having to rebuild his training operation from scratch, O’Brien Award winning trainer Ben Wallace has said that he will be in the winner’s circle once again.

The tragic barn fire at Classy Lane Training Centre in Puslinch, Ont. earlier this week saw the lives of 43 horses taken. Wallace, who was stabled in the affected structure (Barn 1), saw all 17 of the head in his operation perish.

The unexpected tragedy was a figurative uppercut to the conditioner and the five other trainers that each lost everything that made up their outfits.

The morning after the blaze, Wallace mustered the courage to speak with the media, even though the pain and magnitude of the situation was too much to hold back.

The veteran conditioner is now a few days removed from the situation and has vowed to build his operation back up, as his comments which appear above clearly indicate.

In speaking with Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Wallace appeared to convey that the initial shockwave from the situation has passed, although the path to rebuild his business is a little daunting at this point.

“I had a little trouble with it the first couple of days,” Wallace admitted. “You wake up and you realize you are in this all by yourself and it’s a little frightening.”

He went on to state that he woke up Wednesday morning “a little afraid” and “a little scared,” but that the way in which the industry has rallied to show its support for everyone affected by the tragedy has been enormous. “I can’t believe the outpouring (of help),” he said.

In mere days, support has flooded in from multiple avenues – too many to keep tabs on. The Central Ontario Standardbred Association started up an official GoFundMe account, which, as of this writing, has raised more than $150,000 (complete info here).

The Meadowlands Racetrack announced a fundraising drive on its two cards of live racing this weekend to help raise capital for the drive. The track’s chairman, Jeff Gural, has kicked off the track’s drive by donating $10,000. The Woodbine Entertainment Group has followed suit with a $10,000 donation, and the United States Trotting Association also announced this week that it will be donating $5,000 towards those affected by the fire.

But it is not just track operators that have stepped up. Horse owners Burke Racing Stable, Mark Weaver and Michael Bruscemi have dedicated percentages of some of their purse earnings towards the fundraising. Ontario-based trainer Tony O’Sullivan has dedicated his trainer’s percentage from the months of January and February to the cause. Owner Adriano Sorella and trainer Tony Alagna have donated and have gathered high-end industry players to pledge capital towards the purchase training equipment at a reduced cost to help trainers get their businesses started again.

“I’ve had other trainers offer me equipment. I’ve had owners offer me horses,” Wallace told Longely.

Multiple feed companies and racing organizations from across the country and North America have announced that they will be donating funds. Additionally, fans, drivers, trainers, industry participants, horse lovers and many others have made sizable donations to the GoFundMe account, which initially had a goal of $100,000, but has been raised to $500,000.

To make a donation to COSA’s official GoFundMe account, click here.

(With files from the Toronto Sun)